Mysophobia

Chapter Two: Yellow Rubber Gloves

    Kade dropped the phone, it swung left and right dangling from it's brittle, fragile cord. He ran into his bedroom, causing papers to twirl upwards rapidly as he sped by, and then slowly turn in a circular rotation as they fell back to the cold hardwood floor. Out from underneath his bed, he grabbed a beige colored suit case and tossed it on the bed, but as he did, what seemed to be a million dust particles had swarmed from out of the fabric of the luggage and up into Kade's face. Kade terrified for his life he rushed to the bathroom and immediately pumped multiple squirts of hand soap and scrubbed his hands, wrists, and elbows for a solid thirteen minutes.

    Tilting his head up to meet his own eyes in the mirror, he stared confused, terrified, unsure of what decision to make. He took a few steps back until he touched the wall, dragging himself down to the floor with his arms cradling his knees in which were covering his eyes. He stood still, he wanted to feel safe but in his head there were hundreds of voices screaming at him. Worry, all he did now was worry.

    He got up walking towards the kitchen, under his sink was a grimy cabinet that held his cleaning supplies. You'd think a storage that contained anti-bacterial needs for the apartment would be quite sanitary. No, it was far from sanitary. Kade only worried about himself. He was 13 when he was diagnosed with OCD, he waited a full five years before he could escape his house full of contaminated material and contaminated humans. On his eighteenth birthday Kade fled from his family to this apartment he's been in ever since. His mother gave him one thing and that was this red bucket full of cleaners.

    "Here Kade, keep this for your apartment, I really hope it can make you feel more, um... comfortable, in your new home." his mother said handing him the shiny red bucket.

    "Uh, that's alright mom, I think I'll be just fine without."

    "No take it, really. It will come in handy one day, trust me." She said nudging the bucket towards his stomach.

    With his finger tips only he grabbed the two sticky handles of the wooden cabinet and swung both doors open, letting free a huge gray-colored moth that flew at his face. Panicking he threw his hands around in front of his face trying to scare the moth away from him.

    "Stay calm, just stay calm." he thought to himself.

     Pulling out the red bucket by its silver metal handle, he spilled the supplies all over the floor, from the small selection he picked up two yellow rubber gloves and slipped them over his gentle hands, they went up as far as his elbows, he liked this very much. He picked up a spray bottle containing a green bubbly liquid, the label read "All Purpose Cleaner".

    Outside the busy cars passed quickly to and fro, honking their horns, drowning out the anxiousness of Kade's head.

    Looking out the window he studied two men in an alleyway. What appeared as a homeless man being mugged by a thug. Kade's heart started beating faster.

    "No, no, no, no, nooooooooo! I can't, I can't!" he yelled throwing his hands over his head and swinging them back to his sides.

    His yellow rubber gloves gripped the fishbowl that sat upon his desk as he pulled it up in front of his face, observing Floyd.

    "Floyd, what do I do? Save Em or stay here in this safe house with you? Damn, this is pointless, I'm speaking to a gold fish for God's sake!"

    Pacing all through out the house, Kade had his arms folded with his feet stepping to every beat of his hypersonic heart. He bent over grabbing the bottle of cleaner, walking into his bedroom he stood over the disheveled luggage case. All over it, he began to spray, by the time the last drop of liquid had escaped the bottle the suit case was drenched inside out. He grabbed a rag and wiped it down thoroughly. From the top shelf in the closest of his bedroom he grabbed three large bottles of Purell hand sanitizer and neatly seated them side by side in the case. Next he packed a tissue box, hand soap bars, goggles, (his spare pair in which he had already set another pair aside for when he leaves), 10 different solid colored tee shirts and a pair of levy jeans to go with each one.

    Kade made his decision and he was ready. He threw on two small jackets and over those a bad-ass,  black leather jacket. It was his father's, the only thing he had left of his. On his hands were still the yellow gloves, they kept him feeling safe from the germs. Over his golden brown hair he pulled a gray hat, to protect his hair from lice of the filthy New York beings. Grabbing his check list, he recorded all his belongings to make sure he was prepared.

    "Goggles? Check."

    "Coats? Check."

    "Sanitizer? Check."

    He stared at his timberland shoes trying to remember if he forgot anything.

    "Oh!" he shouted as if a light bulb had just lit up above his little head.

    Rushing back into his bedroom, with two hands and all his strength he struggled to move the bed to the left side of the room. His body was thin, fragile, weak. After nearly straining himself he had done it. Underneath the bed was a secret storage in the floor, opening it up he pulled out a stainless steel brief case. Typing in the combo with his shaking gentle fingers, 12-08, his heart rate begin to increase more and more. Unsnapping the brief case there was an all black .45 semi automatic pistol, loaded. This was given to Kade by his uncle Marcos for his sixteenth birthday, Kade being terrified of death, he never touched the thing, now he had a feeling that it was necessary to bring this along with him. He unloaded it and put the bullets inside the left pocket of the leather jacket, sticking the barrel down into his pants, tucking his shirt over it.

    With the suitcase in his left hand and a map in his right he took one more look through the peep hole of his front door looking out into the world he was about to step into for the first time in six years. Shaking uncontrollably, sweating with chills all throughout his body he turned to his desk and looked at Floyd. Opening the door, he took his first steps out, shutting it behind him.